Having Pups Should I or Not ?

[selzer]

Ok, let's think about this. If your bitch would have 2-3 puppies, and they all run in your yard, and everyone loves each other, and they play together, and everything is hunky-dory and then one day when they are 18 months old, someone bumps into someone else, and that one gives a retaliatory nip, and then it is on. Momma and the other pup do not just stand on the sidelines and watch, they get in on the action, and suddenly you are trying to separate dogs and keep them from running up vet bills.

Ok, GSDs generally have litters of 7, 10, even 14 puppies.

Frankly you don't think you can give them up to strangers? Then do not breed your bitch. It really doesn't matter if you have 500 square meters or 5000 square meters. 10 to 15 dogs is no longer a family it's a job. It's a job keeping them fed, training them all, getting them vetted, grooming -- ick toenails! And poop patrol. You will be singing poo-songs like me. And are you willing to keep each of them in a separate kennel when you cannot supervise.

Heaven will find me running in a great open field with all my past and present dogs. But here on earth, we really have to be practical. I have a bunch of dogs and it is not for just anyone. And they are not all puppies. Puppies take a lot of work, and raising one puppy is ok, that's easy. Raising two is like raising 5 singly. Having a group of dogs can work, but it is better to get them at different times, so that you can get each through the puppy stages, and the basic training, and also when you have some gaps in age, you can avoid some of the inter-pack issues that happen when you have two or more dogs who are close in power.

Realizing when the puppies are 6 or 8 months old that you are over your head is not good.